Tight back forces Griffey to DH instead of RF

A tight back by Ken Griffey Jr. has forced Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu to switch his projected lineup for today’s 3:40 p.m. home opener, as Griffey now will be at designated hitter instead of right field.

The Mariners just posted their revised lineup and utility man Ronny Cedeno has been inserted into left field, Endy Chavez is shifting to right and Mike Sweeney has been dropped from the DH spot.

Wakamatsu said it was more important to keep Griffey healthy for the long term rather than pushing him to play the outfield in his initial game back in Seattle.

Ichiro Suzuki is still on the 15-day disabled list, but just took batting practice and will be activated Wednesday as he’s now fully recovered from a stomach ulcer.

The Mariners will need to make a roster move to make room for Ichiro. Wakamatsu said that likely will depend on the health of outfielder Wladimir Balentien, who sprained his wrist while diving for a ball Saturday in Oakland, but was going to test the wrist today and see how he was feeling.

Wakamatsu also said top minor-league prospect Carlos Triunfel will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair the leg he broke last week during a Class AA game.

“We’re not sure how severe the injury is, but it’s a tough thing for the kid,” Wakamatsu said. “He’s a great player. We’ll see what happens in surgery to see how much of the sweason he’ll miss. We won’t know the severity until the surgery. We have our fingers crossed.”